Sick Country feels like “there’s something wrong. You walk out there, and you feel like the place is screaming out for help. You feel bad for the place.” “Our Dreaming stories tell of how Murrup (spirit) creators made journeys across formless space, creating substance in land and sea, and settling to rest in important places. In certain places wi (fire) is felt strongly by Djaara and in others, colonial land management practices have impacted the spiritual connection to place, making places feel spiritually barren. Our Murrup continue to suffer trauma. For Wi Murrup (fire spirit) to be returned, Djaara need to care for Djandak. Applying wi is essential to restoring this balance. Country and Wi Murrup will not be happy and healthy until Djandak Wi is returned to Djandak by Djaara.” Challenges to reintroducing Djandak Wi Colonisation and the dispossession of our People from Djandak caused a devastating rupture in our custom of Djandak Wi, which led to large intense wrong way wi (fires), sick Djandak, and sick People. Wrong way wi is a significant threat to Djandak, Djaara, and the communities that share Djandak with us. “Country is out of balance; it is upside down. Our Country bleeds, cries and it continues to suffer.” The rupture in our custom of Djandak Wi has caused many of our Culturally important ceremony, food, fibre, and medicine species to decline or disappear from Djandak, such as murna (yam daisy), buwatj (kangaroo grass), witji (basket grass), dhurung wurkuk (pale flax lily and spreading flax lily), and gitjawil matom (chocolate lily and vanilla lily). Our totemic species, gal gal (dingo), barramul (emu), and yung (spotted quoll) are too absent from Djandak. The extent of sick Djandak means that giving Djandak Wi is different from that of our Martinga Guli (Ancestors). Some areas of Djandak have not seen Djandak Wi for hundreds of years. Navigating these challenges is a slow and unpredictable process, but we know how to reintroduce Djandak Wi by nyerna (hear, listen, understand, know) Djandak from generations of Lore, song, dance, story, and observation. 23 “Djaara are the fire givers of Country.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI3ODI1